With several days of high pressure in March and the call of the wild growing again it was rucksack packed and full steam ahead to any nearby hills for some wandering. First port of call was the 2 easterly Drumochter hills Carn na Caim and A'Bhuidheanach Bheag (first visited nearly 12 yrs ago)…Not the most exciting of hills but once I'd bypassed the land rover tracks and industrial workings it was great to be strolling over the moorland bumps with biggggg skies stretching as far as the eye can see en-route to Carn na Caim…Notable was the buttress like hill fort of An Dun close by as well as different views towards the Cairngorms. The 2nd summit came and went and as I had time I wandered out to the top of Glas Mheall Mhor (were I happened to take a very large order over the phone!)..the return was by Coire Chuirn to spice things up and let me tell you coming down icy gullies in mid march makes even these hills fun!!
Less than a week later the esteemed Mr M Dand and myself accompanied by Murphy the terrier set off for Beinn Tulaichean and Cruach Ardrain from Inverlochlarig on a beautiful March morning – the start of that uncommon spell of high pressure otherwise known as “Scottish Summer”. Hoardes of walkers were seen ant like ascending the back-end of nearby Stob Binnien leaving the 3 musketeers to wander up the 1st hill of the day…Wee note here, the track from the farm is a boggy mess, its better to skirt around further on..We were soon on top of Tulaichean were we began to find ourselves in a weather window all day, with snow and hail blattering past on both sides of the hill leaving us in bright sunshine. Soon we were on the summit of Cruach Ardrain after passing the tourists coming from the Crianlarich end. Great views over to Ben More and Stob Binnien, which shed their coats of snow as the day went on and also panoramic views of the Trossachs, Arrochar alps etc etc. We were soon back down on a fantastic crisp evening thinking about a pint. Two hours later we were standing in a Tesco car park with cans of beer in Falkirk after 1. not stopping at suitable refreshment establishments 2. Me driving too fast and missing the turnoff for Kincardine 3. Martin talking too much – no surely…Great day however!!
“D ye fancy a wander” so went the dulcet tones of the BIG FELLA Mr D Jackson a week or so later. Indeed I do and off we set for a leg stretch to Beinn Ghlas and Lawers. All of his ticks are past the Great Glen now y see. Unlike the last week at Strawberry cottage we were hard pressed to find any snow en route but as this was Lawers we did pass several walkers clad in non hillwalking gear…jeans, plastic bags etc etc..Beinn Ghlas was reached and left behind and for me it was nice to actually see the views from the summit of Lawers (last time it was horizontal everything being chucked at us…i suppose it was July at the time). Leaving the very close looking An Stuc etc. behind we set off down the glen on the alternative descent discussing the philosophical theses of Roger Mellie, the abstract art of Finbar Saunders and of course that true renaissance man Sid the Sexist…chortle.
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